"It doesn't matter whether it's through your antenatal course, through your birth process or in the first couple of months after childbirth; the risks are considerably higher for overweight or obese woman."

The research found the region is not unique and the problem is likely to be found in rural areas across Australia.

"I think what our paper is probably showing is that there is significant problem in rural areas in particular and I suspect that that's Australia-wide," Professor Teale said.

Professor Hannah Dahlen from the Australian College of Midwives says rural maternity services do not have the resources to manage obese pregnancies.

"What women are often left with then is to say 'if I can't have my baby in the kind of model of care that I want, well, I'm going to choose to go it alone'," she said.

"We're seeing increasing numbers of women freebirthing or going to untrained birth attendants or lay midwives in order to have babies at home and that's the worst of all of the options."